Improvement in printing-presses



UNITED STATES PATENT OrEieE.

GEORGE P. GORDON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

specification forming pmt or Letters Patent No. 40,099, dated september-e9, reca.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE P. GORDON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and useful Improvements in the Oontruction and Operation of Printing-Presses; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved printing-press, showing the position of the platen K and of.: the arms B when an i1npression is being taken; Fig. 2, a. front end view of the same, the platen K being shown in the proper position for the reception of the sheet of .paper or card to be printed; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same, showing the position of platen K and arms B when the platen is in position to receive the sheet of paper or card to be printed; Fig. 4', a top view of my improved printing-press; Fig. 5, view of section of cog-wheel F, showing the means for operating the dropgage X.

In the drawings like parts of the invention are designated by the same letters of reference.

The nature of my invention consists (a) in locking or bolting a rocking platen or a platen which shall rock to and from the point of impression, as substantially hereinafter shown, or in an equivalent manner, so that the said rocking platen shall be stationary purpose or purposes set forth; (b) in so con- `structing` a printing-press that the shaft upon whichthe platen rocks, the impression shaft and the shaft of the bed shall all at the moment of impression fall in a direct line with the impression-connections, for the purpose or purposes hereinafter shown; (c) in combining with the shaft so arranged, the means shown for giving to the platen the rocking motion to and from the point of impression; (d) in the construction and operation of the end gage, as hereinafter described, and in combining with the same the drop-gage, for the purpose specified.

To enable those skilled in the arts to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

A A show a frame for supporting the operating parts of my improved printing-press.

B shows the bed for receiving the form or types, supported at its lower extremities upon the rod a.

C shows the impression-shaft of the press, inserted in the frame A A, yupon one end ot' which shaft C is keyed the cog-wheel F, and upon the opposite end is keyed the blank crank E. The cog-wheel F gears into the pinion H upon the ily-wheel shaft G. The blank crank E and cog-wheel F form cranks to which the connecting-rods I are attached at one end, their opposite ends being attached one at each end of the shaft J, inserted in the back of the bed B.

K shows the platen, upon which the sheet of lpaper or card to be printed is laid when said platen K is in the horizontal position shown -in Figs. 2, 3, and 4i. of the drawings. This platen' K .is supported by and rocks upon the shaft L, inserted in the frame A A between the impression-shaft C and the shaft J, inserted in the back of the bed B. This shaft L passes through the center of the projections M, attached at the back of the platen K. The projections M have their ends m properly shaped to be received between the stops N upon the frame A A and the arms B.

O is a crank-arm attached to the shaft L.

P is a roller playing freely upon a stud upon the crank-arm O.

Q is a cam in the cog-wheel F, in which cam Q the roller I plays to rock the platen K to and from the point of impression.

Directly in front of the press, and below the projections M, are placed the arms B, hung upon the rod o, and having the stud and roller s attached to them.

S is a surfaceeam upon the impressionshaft C.

T is a spring attached to the arms B and bearing upon the rod t.

U is a ro'd running through the support V upon the platen K.

lV is a spring upon said rod U.

X is a gage attached to the rod U. This gage X is simply a lip-piece, which will allow a card to be freely placed between its lip and the tympan-sheet upon the platen K. The rod U is made to rock, and thus open and close or move to and from the platen K the lipgage X for the purpose of receiving and dropping the card.

Y is an end gage, held or pivoted to or upon t-he platen K, and is so cor structed that whenever said gage Y is turned upon the pivot forward or backward it shall present that portion of the lip-gage yin line with the center ot the platen K squarely,for the proper reception of the card.

Z shows that portion ot the rod U operated by the cam-shaped piece z2 upon the cogwheel F to open and close the lip-gage X.

Operation: lVe will suppose the platen Kv to be in the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, for the purpose of receiving the sheet of paper or card to be printed, and that such sheet or card has been laid upon the platen. Motion being communicated to the press,the cam Q in the cog-wheel F begins to act, and through the crank-arm vo and the roller P rocks the platen K to a vertical or nearly a vertical position, for the purpose ot' receiving the impression. During this movement ofthe platen K the bed B, in which is placed the form or types, through the'connecting-rod I, attached as shown, has commenced to vibrate upon the rod a, for the purpose of giving an impression. Vhen the platen K has been rocked down to the vertical or nearly vertical position, the arms R, operated by means ot' the stud and roller s, surface cam S, and spring T, are thrown forward, directly beneath the ends m ofthe projections M, which ends m of .the 'projections M are locked orbolted snugly between the stops N upon the frame A A and the arms R, the stops Nlbeing sufficiently strong to resist any upward and the arms R any'downward pressure of the platen K should the form or types, by being placed out of center,77 have a tendency to produce such an ei'ect at the moment oi' impression. The arms R having been thrown forward and the platen K locked in its stationary position,the bed B continues to vibrate until an impression has been given. Au impression having been given, the bed B, operated by the connecting-rods l, recedes from the platen K, 'and the arms R, operated by the stud and roller s and the surface-cam S, are thrown back from their position below the ends m ofthe projections M, and the platen Kbein g released,through the crank-arm Q and the roller P, operated by the cam Q in the cog-wheel F, is rocked from the vertical or nearly vertical position which it occupied at the momentof impression (see Fig. 1 of the drawings) to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4,'necessary to allow the printed sheet to be removed and the succeeding sheet to be printed to be laid upon the platen, which being done, the operation j ust described is repeated.v When a card is to be printed, the drop-gage X and end gage, Y, are attached as shown in the drawings, the end gage, Y, is properly adjusted, and the card is laid upon the tympan-sheet placed upon the K platen K between the lip ofthe drop-gage K and the lip of the end gage, Y, and the tympansheet placed upon the platen K. After the platen K has been rocked down, as previousl y described, to a vertical or nearly a vertical position to receive the impression, and. an impression has been given, the portion Z of the rod U, operated by the cam-shaped piece Z2 upon the cog-wheel F, causes the dropgage X to open and allow the card to drop into a box properly arranged for the reception ot'- the same. The platen K having been rocked back to the proper position for the reception ot the succeeding card to be printed, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 4,) the same is laid upon the tympan between the tympan and the lips of the drop and end gages, and the operation first described is repeated.

1t is very important that the platen should be held firmly in position when receiving the impression from the bed, and particularly so should it be necessary to place the form or types out ofthe center of the bed, or if such form should require a heavier impression upon one side of the form. rEhe object of the pres ent improvement is to-rem edy in the lmost substantial manner this det'ect,which has hitherto existed in the use ot' a rocking platen.

The platen, it will be seen, is rocked to a stationary position, ybolted or locked in such position, and thus held until the bed has Vmoved forward, given the impression, and receded, so as to allow the platen to be unlocked and rocked back to its position Vfor the reception ofthe sheet. Thus, notwithstanding the platen may rock to and lfrom the impression, yet when receiving the impression it is substantially as stationary as though it were bolted permanently in the trame of the press.

It will beobserved that the platen rocks upon its own shalt, and that this shaft is between the main or impression shaft and the shaft ofthe bed. It is thus placed so that the cog-wheel F may contain the cam Q to operate t-he platen K as it rocks to andffrom the impression, and also that the three shafts `may at the Amoment of impression fall in line with the connecting-rods I, which is necessary in order to give the impression withoutstraining'the frame ofthe press. Thus, by bringing these three shafts and the connections I all into line at the time of impression the frame is relieved from the strain, which is made to fall upon the wrou ght-iron connectin g-rods and shafts. The frame may consequently be cast much lighter and be made far less cumbersome.

Having thus described the improvements made by me, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Locking and holding a rocking platen securely in a stationary position, for the purposes fully described.

2. Placing the shaft of the rocking platen Abetween the impression-shaft and the vibrating bed-shaft, thus causing these shafts to fall in a direct line with the connecting-rods at Iche moment of impression, for the purpose or nation of such end gage, Y,With the drop-gage purposes set forth. X, for the purposes herein fully described.

3. In combination with J[he shafts so arranged, the manner described of operating the GEO P' GORDON' rocking platen, for the purpose specified.

4. The end gage, Y, constructed and operated substantially as shown 5 also, the combi- In presence .of-

A. SIDNEY DOANE, G. O. GORDON. 

